School Computer Network Information

At the central level, Stanford University supplies the
campus backbone network
with its connections to the worldwide Internet plus specialized
networks like the high speed "Internet2" research network.
Wireless network connectivity
in the academic campus area is also provided by the central
Information Technology Systems and Services
(ITSS) group.

The School
of Earth Sciences provides high speed wired network connections,
funded and maintained at the School level, to every
office and lab in the Braun Hall (Geology Corner), Mitchell Earth
Sciences, and Green Earth Sciences buildings, managed by the
School's own
network manager.
Exception:
Branner Library in Mitchell Building is served by the Library
network under separate management.
Both Stanford-owned and personally-owned computers, printers, and
other devices may be connected to the Earth Sciences network.

As of May, 2005,
ITSS-managed wireless network service
is also
available throughout the three Earth Sciences buildings. This is
intended as a convenience for portable use. It is not a general
substitute for the normal wired network. The wireless network
uses shared access points with substantially slower data transfer
speeds than the wired network. Additionally, the wireless network
is not secure; unencrypted connections can be easily captured by others.

Whether you intend to use the wired or wireless network, your computer
must first be
registered for network access.
The wireless network also provides a
guest access feature
that permits immediate guest access with no registration for up
to seven days; a Stanford faculty, staff, or student must create
a guest password first.

Fast ethernet (100 Megabits/second) and regular ethernet (10 Mbs)
service are both supported on all
wall jacks
on the School's wired network.
This network is fully switched, so each jack
receives dedicated bandwidth and is less vulnerable to
eavesdropping
by hackers.

There are no filters or firewalls between the School's
network and the campus backbone, and
very little filtering
between the campus backbone and the Internet.
This means that generally, you will not be blocked from accessing any
Internet resources.
But it also means that hackers who want to break into your computer
can easily probe it for weaknesses, so it is important to maintain
security on your computer.